What makes a sense of humour is a difficult thing to pin down. Different people find different things funny, and what may seem hilarious to some, will be highly offensive to others. Nonetheless, having some kind of a sense of humour is important for relieving stress, getting along with colleagues in the workplace, and even becoming more successful in the bedroom. Therefore, it’s crucial to think about steps you can take to improve your sense of humour.

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Steps

Part 1 of 3: Developing your humour

1

Look for the funny side of situations: While it can be difficult at times to find the funny side in unfortunate events when you’re having a bad day, try to think about how the situation might look like to other people, and endeavor not to get too angry. Laughing over minor accidents, trips and falls will help you in preventing a loss of temper that you will regret later.

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2

Learn some basic jokes. Some people find it hard to remember jokes, and feel left out when others are telling them. It’s worth trying to learn a few jokes that you can pull out the bag when you need to, or regularly think about how you can turn a funny situation that occurs in daily life into an entertaining anecdote for later.

3

Look at joke or humor cards. There are many different kinds of funny cards available, which can be a great inspiration for finding ways to improve your sense of humour. Giving an appropriate funny card to friends and family on the right occasion will show that you have a good sense of humour and are thinking about them.

4

Learn from friends. Look at friends that you think have a great sense of humour. How do they deal with situations, and what kind of jokes do they make? Is there anything you can take away from their actions?

5

Learn from kids.Spend time with children, and see where they find humour in strange situations. Children’s humour can offer an alternative perspective, and be refreshing if you want to go for a more light-hearted approach occasionally rather than constantly trying to develop jokes for adults.

Part 2 of 3: Activities to improve your sense of humor

1

Go along to stand up gigs. The atmosphere and the performance of stand up gigs can give you a perspective on how people react to jokes, as well as what kind of routines and jokes that you personally find funny. If you don’t have time to physically go, try watching comedians and comedies on TV.

2

Draw cartoons. It’s a good idea to experiment with drawing cartoons on a frustrating day, even if your drawing skills aren’t great. A simple cartoon with a funny caricature or pun can put a bad situation into perspective.

Part 3 of 3: Knowing when to draw the line

1

Avoid being offensive. Always think carefully about the kind of jokes you tell, and how they might cause offense. What might seem funny to you may actually end up offending someone close to you, even if you don’t realise it at the time. Steer clear of using racist, sexist or other demeaning ways of cracking a joke––not only are these not funny but they entrench the marginalizing effect on the people targeted by the jokes.

2

Don't go overboard with your humor. Forced and awkward humour isn’t going to be much fun for anyone, least of all you. Something that’s been clearly planned out isn’t going to work well in a social situation, so try to relax and let humour come naturally over time. The best jokes are spontaneous and unplanned.

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